53 
py 1 

Political intrigues 

....OF..., 

AUSTRIA & GERMANY 

AGAINST 

BALKAN STATES. 



BY DR. JOSEF GORICAR, 

FORMER AUSTRIAN CONSUL. 



Edited by American Bohemian Press 

Association, New York. 

June 1915. 



Political Intrigues 

....OF.... 

AUSTRIA & GERMANY 

AGAINST 

BALKAN STATES. 



BY DR. JOSEF GORICAR, 

FORMER AUSTRIAN CONSUL. 



Edited by American Bohemian Press 

Association, New York. 

June 1915. 



New Yorske Listy, 1390 - 2nd Ave., New York City. 






n C) f- .'-^ / . 



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i 



PART I. 

HOW AND WHY AUSTRIA DESTROYED 
THE BALKAN ALLIANCE. 

Macchiavelli outdone by Austrian Diplomacy. 

'' It looks as though (in the Balkans) 

things had to a certain extent been purposely 
so arranged that the peace and quiet of the 
world might be disturbed at any moment. 
Ah, how Aveak and shortsighted is human 
wisdom, when it strays from the path of 
justice and love. ... 

"The latest events have shown, and future 
events wiW show still more plainly, that the 
Austria of to-day, instead of assisting through 
her mediation in the settlement of European 
confusion, is much more inclined to add to it, 
and to sow the seeds of future dissension and 
unavoidable fresh complications in every 
question which she touches. 

"A truly petty policy, dictated by an 
unreasonable fear of the Slavs, which can 
benefit no one, but must be harmful in all 
quarters." 

3 



From a letter of Bishop Strossmayer, the 
great .Slavic patriot to Mr. Galdstone, 
dated Djakovo (Croatia), f^Iarcli 13th, 1879' 



•Austria alwa^^s looked upon the Balkans 
as her siphere of influence, and in particular, 
the western and middle portion of it with 
Salonica as the center goal. This would be 
the first step to the gradual and complete 
absorption of the whole Balkan Peninsula. 
In this she always had the warmest support 
of Germany, as the latter refgards herself as 
the prospective heir of Austria. 

Indeed, Germany always considered her- 
self as the legitimate successor to the posses- 
sions of the Turkish and Austrian empires 
when their final liquidation should come. 
This is why both of these countries always 
dreaded an alliance of the independent Bal- 
Ikan states. 

They wanted a Aveak Turkey, which 
would always be willing to march in the path 
oif their politics, but strong enough to hold 
'back the Balkan states until the time should 
<?ome when Austria and German}^ would be 
strong enough to putsh their way to Salonica 
against all odds. That is why these two em- 
pires were always upholding the status quo 
idea — the non-disturbance of 'Balkan poli- 



tics. The best means to this end was to keep 
the Balkan nations apart to hinder their 
reaching a mutua'l understanding. Especially 
the two Slavic nations, Serbia and Bulgaria, 
should be kept apart, as an understanding 
between them practically meant a death blow 
to the Turkish rule on the continent of 
Europe. To prevent the two iSlavic Balkan 
states from reaching an understanding, Aus- 
tria and Gc'rmainy decided to always keep 
them in a state of discord. All the efforts 
of their diplomacy were working in this di- 
rection, and especially of the Austrian di- 
plomacy ; this later for the simple reason that 
Austria was the greater and older master 
of IMacchiave'llistic statesmanship and the Ger- 
mans were mere schooilboys in this respect 
and had much to learn from Austria. 

So it came that Germany displayed a 
great activity only in Constantinople, the 
main goal of their policy, where they had 
for many years kept the best of their diplo- 
mats, 'Marshall von Bieberstein. 

Belgrade and Sophia, on the contrary, 
were left prominently to Austrian diplomats, 
as the great markers of Balkan intrigues. In 
one respect only Germany played an import- 
ant role on the Balkans (in Belgrade and 
Sophia), and this was in the commercial field 



of action, as this had to bring immediate re- 
sults to their exports, while they would have 
to wait for the returns in the field of pure 
politics for many years, at least to the pass- 
ing away of Franz Joseph, and the 'day when 
they should inhe'rit the Hapsbnrg pos'seisisions. 

lAnd really, the Germans succeeded ad- 
mirably in chaising out the Austria ns from 
their oldest export countries. Germany played 
a double role with Austria : She wanted her 
to hold Serlbia and Bulgaria in a state of 
cat-and-'dog policy, to have in future the 
fruits of this policy as the sole heir of 
Austria; on the other hand, she took advant- 
age of the hatred iSer'bia forcibly nourished 
against Austria, and took all exports she 
possibly could aw^ay from Austrian exporters. 

It was useless to explain to Austria that 
this w^ould . ruin her. In her hatred of the 
southern Slavs, and in her blind desire to 
push to the Aegean iSea, she never listened 
to reason. In her internal polities she rules 
only by her famous maxim ''divide et impera;" 
that is, to play one nation against the other, 
although the official watchword of the 
Emperor Franz Joseph is "Viribus unitis." 

For instance: When the three 'Slavic 
nations of Southern Austria, Slovenia, Orotia 
and Serbia began to awaken, the Austrian 



and Hungarian governmentis immediately 
opened a counter campaign propagating the 
darkest religious hatred and the most sordid 
political discord among them, all for the 
purpose oif preventing these peoples from 
reaching a common undemtanding, and by 
this a higher level of civilization. 

Whatever .yon are asked to do in the 
internal troubles, you will likewise do in 
your actions in external diplomacy. The best 
and most cunning diplomats, especially in 
these later years, were always sent to Bel- 
grade and Sophia, the respective capitals of 
iSerbia and Bulgaria. Their instructions were 
to play a double game — incite the two 
nations against each other, and protect the 
one against the other as occasion demanded. 

To crown their vices, and make this an 
everlasting one, they brought them into a 
brother-war. This was in 1865. 

In all their polities money played the 
greatest part. Especially King (Milan of Serbia 
was entirely in the hands of the Vienna 
foTeign office. 'He led his nation against the 
Bulgarians at the instigation of Vienna. As 
he met with defeat, Austria very generously 
stopped the Bulgarian army from further 
advance. From that time iSerbia and Bul- 
gairia were deadly enemies, as Austria and 



Germany had desired. From then on it was 
an easy matter for t'hem to keep Sei^bia and 
Bullgaria apart. Only when the Obrenovitch 
dynasty (as the real servant of Austrian 
intrigues) fell did it Ibegin to dawn upon the 
twd iSlavic Balkan nations that, by their 
fratricidal policy, they .had served only the 
aims of Austria and Germany. 

The Ser'bian and iBulgarian representa- 
tives met secretly, and reach an agreement to 
establish a common tariff boundary. This was 
only a short time before the annexation of 
Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria. The 
ever vigilant, but foT the B^alkan policies still 
too sleepy, Austrian and German diplomats 
awoke one fine day and found themselves 
confronted with the fact that the two 
countries, Sei^bia and Bulgaria, had reached 
a tentative agreement to form a common 
"Custom's Union." 

Americans will say : "It is perfectly 
natural that these two Christian nations, so 
closely related to each other by blood, lang- 
uage, religion and history, and thousands of 
aims in common, should form a Zollbund, 
which would not in jure the interest of any- 
one, least of all Austria and Germany." 

But here you prove that you do not under- 
stand the mentality of Austrian and German 



8 



diplomat. The aiinoucenient of this plan in 
the foreign offices of Vienna and Berlin was 
like a terrific bomb explosion. What a pity 
that at that time Edison's wonderful kine- 
matograph had not been in common use, so 
that someone could have tkinematogTaphed 
the rush and stir and the drawn faces this 
news created in the secret chancelleries of 
Vienna and Berlin! Had these houses gone 
ablaze it Avould have been nothing in com- 
parison to the terrific shock which this elect- 
ric spark caused in the Foreign Offices of 
Vienna and Berlin. 

■ A piteous cry fo.r help went up, and all 
hands were summoned to extinguish the me- 
nacing fire that was about to destroy the 
hard work of so many yeai^s of sowing discord 
among the Balkan nations. The whole staff 
of the German, Austrian and Hungarian Press 
was called upon, and the work of fighting 
the fire began. The German and Hungarian 
newspapers of the Central Empires over- 
flowed with the most vituperous articles 
against Serbia, and threats against Bulgaria, 
and the awakened diplomats of Austria and 
Germany, down in the Balkaais, were soon 
ibusy with bribery and false promises. The 
whole scheme fell through, and Austria once 
more triumphed. Here, we must say, Austrian 



diplomacy was superior to that of Serbia and 
Bulgaria. 

I know that my Southern Slavic friends 
will say to this remark that the whole discord 
and misunderstanding of the two brother 
nations is due to Austrian intrigue. The say- 
ing is quite common in the Balkans that 
Austria is at the bottom of all the trouble in 
the Balkans. The SeTbians even have, a 
special name foT this certainly not very noble 
work of the Austrian diplomats, "Austriskoje 
ma.slo" (Austrian butter) — in other words, 
Austrian intrigue. 

I do not pretend to understand anything 
of diplomacy, but the height of this difficult 
art is to overcome all obstacles and triumph 
over the most poisonous of your opponent. 

'To Ikeep a cool head, a heairt free from 
all racial or national prejudices, and to look 
forward to the future welfare of the Slavic 
race, should be the aim of all Balkan states- 
manship. There is no doubt that here they 
have failed, both the SeTbian and Bulgarian 
diplomats. 

The statesmen of both countries should 
have looked forward to the great goal of 
their policies, self-preservation, as thecre is 
little doubt that Austria, or rather Germany, 
will in a short time absorb them 'both if 



30 



Serbia and the allies do not win the present 
struiggle. 

No dou'bt Balkan statesmen are iai part 
responsible for the second Balkan war. But 
the greater part of this responsibility lies 
Avith Bulgaria, or rather with King Ferdinand 
of Bulgaria, who played the role of King 
i]\Iilan as a mere exponent of Austrian politics. 

Behind all the machinations that led to 
this second bloody Balkan Avar stood ulustria, 
of course, as the plenipotentiary and executor 
of German imperialism. Both of these coun- 
tries AA^anted to destroy the Balkan alliance, 
irrespective of the question of Avho should 
AA^n. 

Naturally, official Austria and the AA^hole 
of Germany Avere on the side of Bulgaria, as 
the carrier of German ideas through King 
Ferdinand of Bulgaria (a former officer of 
the Austrian army). A Bulgarian A^etory 
Avonld permit Austria to push through doAA^n 
to Salonica, a step further toAvard the con- 
quest of Constantinople and the road to 
Bagdad. 

One evil begets another, and Austrian 
diplomacy Avas once more triump'hant and the 
armies clashed. Hoav saA^agely they fought, 
all for the glory and triumph of Austria and 
Germany and their ''Drang naeh Osten" (the 



11 



German expansion policy to the Balkans and 
Asia MinoT), 

When Austria and Germany had the satis- 
faction of having destroyed the Balkanie 
Brotherhood of nations, they met with one 
disappointment, which w^as that not King 
Ferdinand, the exponent of their policies, was 
the victor, but the hra/ve and heroic Serbians. 
The triumph of Austria-Germany, in forcing 
the two nations into war and thus destroying 
forever the Balkan alliance which stood for 
humanity and liberty, was great. At least 
they saw themselves free to concentrate all 
their efforts against Russia with the aim of 
destroying her. But in spite of all, they 
were terribly deceived. Vienna, Berlin and 
Budapest, all the Germans and Hungarians 
were simply dumbfounded over this victory. 
The war against Serbia was decided. iSerbia 
must be destroyed at any cost — annihilated — 
even if it came to the bloodiest of all wars. 

Austria and Germany were the more de- 
termined to go to war, as they had learned 
with terror that the sympathy oi the Slavic 
people of Austria^Hungary was with the 
Serbiafns. A further cause to destroy SeAia 
forever, to give a final blow to the Southern 
Slavic aspirations, in short, to wipe out the 
Serbians and with them all the iSouthern 



12 



Slavs. With Serbia not uoider the control of 
the Austrian and German statesmen, the 
"lAmen^^ to all the prayers ot the Emperor 
and Kaiser was "Serlbia has to be destroyed.' 
Feverishly they pushed the military and 
diplomatic preparations for the great Europ- 
ean slaughter that had thus become quite 
unavoidable. The aim was to forever destroy 
all dreams of . the Southern Slavic brother- 
hood with Serbia at the head, and thus for- 
ever block Russia in the Black iSea. Russm 
should never have a free outlet to the sea, 
and she should in turn be overpowered, and 
thus also the Eastern Slavs brought under 
the dominion o«f Berlin. The European war 
would have occurred in spite of all. The in- 
cident of Sarajevo was only the signal for it 



PART II. 

AUSTRIA'S DEATH STRUGGLE WITH 
SERBIA. HER PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. 

That Dark Night of Defeat. 

The murder of Archduke Fraaiz Ferdinand 
was liike oil to the wheels of the wa^r wagon 
of Emperor William. Up to that moment^ 
the iKaiser and his advisers were still in 
doubt as to the attitude of the 'Slavic nations 
of lAustria-Hungary in case of a war against 
Serbia aaid Russia. From that day, the Slavs 
of Austria, especially the Cechs and liberal 
Slovenian and Croatian parties, not to men- 
tion the treacherous Polish aristocracy, who 
was always a servant of the most unfair 
Viennese pollicies, could no longeof contiue in 
sympathy with iSerbia, although iSerbia had 
nothing to do with that crime. Owing to 
their fear of being shot or imprisoned on the 
charge of high treason, they had, apparently 
at least, to side with official AustriajGermany. 
Vienna, Budapest, and, a'bove all, Berlin, 
v/ere jubilant over the news of the refusal 
of the Austrian ultimatum, and the long- 
before-prepared and long-before-determined 
war broke out. They knew that the honor 



U 



and the vital inteirestg of Russia would force 
her to stand by Sei^bia, and that France 
would have to stand by Russia. But they 
assumed that England would remain neutral, 
and that Japan would join them and attack 
Russia from the rear. Their first, long-yeans- 
before minutely e&tabliehed p'lan was to 
simply first crush Serbia and France, and 
afterwards to unite all fo^rces against Russia, 
before she could dream of mobilizing her 
army. 

•Austria had to rush down to (Niish with 
an overwhelming force and join hands with 
the armies of King Ferdinand of 'Bulgaria 
and the Sultan of Turkey, and thus, in a 
few days' battle, destroy the iSerbian army, 
the iSerbian independence and all Southern 
Slavic dreams of freedom and independence. 
A crushing defeat of the Serbians would have 
determined, not only Bulgaria and Turkey 
but also Roumania, to join armies with 
Austria^ermany against Russia. Germany, 
on the contrary, had to overthrow, in a few 
weeks' war, the French Republic, occupy 
Paris, while Austria, with the bulk of her 
army, would guard her own and Germany's 
Eastern frantier, and cheek a possi'bile adviaince 
of the vanguard of the Russian army. Both 
armies afterwards had to turn with all theiT 



15 



forces against Russia before she could pos- 
eibly have time to mobilize one-third of her 
army. 

Relying on theiir eight million bayonets, 
iboth Emperors were absolutely certain of a 
comparatively easy victory. So great indeed 
were their expectations, that a war indemnity 
of twenty-five billions was already fixed to 
be imposed upon France and Russia. 

The first plan of campaign was dictated 
by purely military reasons and had, as its 
basis, the military force of Germany, also of 
Austria, aud the good conditions of both 
countries in the interioir and exterior. 

Both in Austria and Germany people 
were absolutely convinced that England 
would never join the allies, and that Japan 
would strike immediately at Russia. The first 
dLsappointment came from England, the se- 
coTid came from little Belgium, the third 
from Japan, the fourth from Serbia and the 
fifth from Russia. Their first plan of cam- 
paign therefore failed before the people of 
Austria and Germany realized it. 

Germany was forced to change her whole 
plan of campaign to go to the aid of Austria, 
to shield her from the terrible blows Russia 
was giving her, to prevent her being crushed 
by the latter, and to give her an oppo-rtunity 
to send a second armv a2"ainst Serbia. 



Austria had' to re-establish as qiiie'My a6 
possible her iiiilitaTy prestige in the Balkans 
by crushing Serbia; otherwise, Roumunia 
could show too mairked a tendency to enter 
the field against Austria and Germany, and 
to reassure the King of Bulgaria, who lost 
all courage when he received the news of 
the firs't defeat od Austria in iSe-rbia. Above 
all, Germany feared that Bulgaria and Turkey 
might become unfaithful to the obligations of 
the triple alliance, or rather of the two Cen- 
tral Empires. 'Xeither could Italy remain a 
mere spectator if Roumania entered the field. 
But the interior situation of Austria made 
Germany's appearance in the Eastern theatre 
of war absolutely and urgently neeestsary. 
Doubt and discouragement began to creep 
into the hearts of all enlightened lAustrians 
and Hungarians when the first vague reports 
of the failure in 'Serbia and Galicia were given 
to the public. 

In a country like Austria history only 
too easily repeats itself. In 1878 they ex- 
pected to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina b}^ 
a handful of soldiers, with a .military band 
at their Jiead. But the Bosnians were very 
unmusical, and showed no understanding to 
the enchanting Austrian mi'litary marches, 
and met the invaders with a hail of bullets. 



17 



The same thing happened with ISerbia. The 
Austriaiis wanted to present it as 'a gift to 
the Emperoi" exactly on the 18th of August, 
the date of his annual "Name-day" (ono- 
mastic) celebration; but history tell^s us that 
just on the 18.th of August the worst new^s 
'reached the Emperor, whereupon, on the 
19th, the general retreat of the army to its 
former positions was oirdered. Nio war bul- 
letins were pu'bli&hed ; instead, a government 
icommuni'taticn was issued in which it was 
sadd that Austria's plan was to maike a short 
advance into iSer^bia, and that their troops 
were ordered to retire to their former posi- 
tions after havin-g acc)o.mplished this purpose 
and after having left a completely exhausted 
enemy on the battle-field. Only to the most 
ignorant could this communication mean a 
victory; the rest all understood that it was 
a cirushing defeat. 

Discussing the situation with a prominent 
Viennese man of German nationality, I was 
told that only one thing could console the 
Oieirmans of Austria, and that is that th3y 
are a part of the great Oerman nation. 

Then came the teixible disaster in Galicia 
and iPoland, and the occupation of Leopold. 
Of course, in the official war bulletins one 
'Could read only about Austrian and German 



18 



victories. Xevertlieless, the truth very soon 
became known. The news of great disasters 
always travels with seven-league hoots. The 
A.nstrians, Germans and Himgarians were 
mneli dejected. iXot so the Slavs, who saw 
in this defeat a just pumshment of Austria s 
anti-Slavic policies. The slaughter in Gahcia 
and Poland was terrific. It was especially 
severe on the Slaivs, who were mowed down 
by tens of thousands at the hands of the 
Kussians. The Slavs of Austria said, "Poor 
fellows, thev are dying for our liberty. The 
sooner Russia comes, the better for us. It is 
high time that she liberated us from the 
AuBtro-German and Hungariaai yokes." 

All these circumstances demanded an 
immediate interveution by Germany; and the 
German troops poured into Galicia and Po- 
land- for weeks train after train passed 
throu^^h Berlin, oomiaig from the Western 
area of war. The Austro-Germans and Hun- 
garians were exulting: "Now, we will crush 
the d-d Russians and grind them to mush 
How proud they felt that at last they could 
fight side by side with the "invinoble Ger- 
man army. Anew offensive plan was begun. 
Its object was to conquer ^Varsaw and drive 
the Russians out of Poland and Galieia. Vien- 
na and Berlin were absolutely sure of this 



19 



result. Moreover, Vierma had some special 
wishes. The ^ood Au'strians had undertaken 
to protect the Eastern frontiers of Germany 
from the advancing Russian army, but were 
defeated, and lost Oalicd'a and Bukowkia. 
That is why they did not now expect that the 
Germams would stop their action againist 
Russia by merely defeating the Russians and 
driving them out of Galicia, 'but would con- 
tinue the war until the whole of PoUand and 
Little Russia, with Kiew, its capital, was 
eaptured for Austria, and the Baltic provinces 
for Germany. 

On they went. The official news carried 
them from victory to victory. But one day 
the inoredible news crept through that the 
Russians were advancing on Cracow. The 
uncertainty and anxiety were great. Vienna 
and Budapest hurriedly began to fortify 
themselves. Meanwhile, a second general ad- 
vance was ordered against Serbia, where 
operations were suspended for a long period. 
This plan was to finish operations in Seirbia 
by defeating the Serbians, and then to hurl 
the whole Southern army against Russia. 

Again, the Austrian newspapers annouced 
victory a/fter victory, and finally Gen. Potio- 
rek of the Southern army gave Belgrade as a 
present to the Emperor of Austria. Since the 



20 



time of Prince Eugene (who first conquei^ed 
[Belgrade from the Turks), Vienna and Buda- 
pest had seen no prouder day. General Po- 
tiorek 'became the great national hero of 
Austria, who had avenged the honor of that 
country. He was the Hiaidenburg of Austria. 
All over Germany they sang ''Deutchland, 
Deutchland uber alles," in elation over the 
Austrian victory, in which they already saw 
the approaching defeat of Russia. In Austria. 
and Hungary all organs of Barbary were 
tnned to the famous w^ar song "Prince 
Eugenius, der edle Ritter." Suddenly all sing- 
ing stopped, and the street organs changed, 
their tunes from Prince Euigenius to theWacht 
on Rhine. 'No one knew exactly what had 
happened, but again the news of some ^reat 
disaster spread like wildfire over the conntry. 

Finally, one morning, 'the goverment of 
Austria published a bu'lletin that the right 
wing of the victorius Austrian ,army in 'Serbia 
had fa'llen baick, but that Belgrade was still 
in possession of the Austrians. On the even- 
ing of the same day 'the news was published 
that the left wing also had fallen back, and 
that Belgrade had been given up. This was 
just ten days after the Austrians had so 
powerfully commenced Ser'bia's conquest. 

This was too much even for the light- 



21 



hearted Aiiis^trians. In Vienna a big crowd 
appeared betore the war miaistry and shout- 
ed, '''AVe want to know the truth!" Signs 
were placed in the churches, "We waait 
peace!" The Slavts of Austria were long since 
tired of the war (aud certaiuly always op- 
poised to it) : and now, for the first time, the 
German population of Austria dared to ex- 
press a'n opinion, ae it became 'known that 
the regiment od Vienna and the Tyrolians 
suffered severe losses. But it wias principally 
in Hungairy that this great victory caused 
profound apprehension. These fiercest euemies 
of the iSouthern Slavs already saw themselves 
firmly established on the Balkan peninsula 
on their w^ay to Salouica. And now their 
fondest dreams of putting their crushing foo't 
on the head of this most dreaded Southern 
iSlavic dragon were dissipated; and again, 
beyond the Southeastern frontiers was loom- 
ing up the spectre of the Roumatnian army, 
a fresh army of 300.000 men, with 200.000 
reserves. 



22 



PART III. 

AUSTRIA'S "GOTTERDAMMERUNG'\ 
The Downfall of the Hapsburg. 

I wish I could make clear to you the 
mea'iimg of this second Seirbiaxi victory over 
the troops of the Emperor of Austria and 
Apostolic King- of Hungary, and now the 
friend of the Sultan of Turkey, but it would 
be necessary for me to Avrite a whole book 
to give you a faint idea of it. Often in the 
history of the last centuries the Austrian 
armies clashed with the powerful Turkish 
hordes on the same battle ground, and were 
victorious. They were victorious because they 
had in their ranks the best soldiers of the 
Austrian Empire, and these were the Slavs, 
who blindly defended their treacherous mast- 
ers of* Vienna and Budapest. 

When the Turks were forced across the 
Danube and its canfluent, the Sava, the Slavs 
had to fight with the Turks alone. One bloody 
uprising followed aaiother in the last century 
under the leadership of humble swine herders, 
and the 'Slavs were successful in Serbia, and 
liberated themselves at last in that part from 
the Turkish yofee. But the German govern- 
ment of Austria and the Hungari'ans, the 



23 



fiercest enemies of the Slavs, looked with 
jealousy and envy at this little rising nation, 
and they determined to enslave it to their 
own purpose. And since thoy have never lost 
sight of this principal aim. Thei whole 
Balkan policy of Austria was nothing but 
the stern never-tiring pursuit of this scheme. 
By hook or by crook, sordid menaces and 
false promises, their diplomacy labored for 
long years. '.Many millions were spent in 
political money. How terribly they coun-. 
teracted Serbia's fight foir freedom and 
lilberty from the Turkish yoke is too well 
known to everybody. The unfortunate Arch- 
du'ke Franz Ferdinand devoted his untiring 
energy to the one o'bject: to check, to hinder, 
to everywhcTe embarrass the IS^erbian King- 
dom, to impoverish the iSerbians, to sub- 
jugate and coerce them to his ideas. 

The Austrian army has been on a con- 
tinious war footing since the days of the an- 
nexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 
Austrian diplomats in Belgrade, for more 
than seven years, had their trunks always 
packed. 

And you will rememiber, also the creation 
of the Kingdom of Albania. iSeveiral years 
before lAusitria created the "Albanian" lang- 
uage. A certain M^r. Pekmezy, during his 



24 



studies, a stipendiary of the Austrian foreign 
office, had written the Albania-n grammar, 
with the aid of a Avell-known iSlavic students, 
and a propaganda of years did the rest. Part- 
ly im mobilization, and partly in losses to 
trade and industry, this foolish and criminal 
Austrian diplomacy has spent over two bill- 
ions m the cTeation of this ridiculous Khig^ 
dom of Albania, with its 800.000 mixed popu- 
latio'n, partly l^Mohammedan, Catholic and 
Orthodox in religion, who hardly paid aaiy 
taxes to the Turks. All this money was 
tatk'en from the profits of the poor Austrian 
peasantry, who, in consequence, had nothing 
else to do but to emigrate to America at the 
averaige rate of a quarter of a million a year. 
And all this to crush the freedom and in- 
dependemce of little Slavic iSeTbia. 

If all the secret correspo'ndence of the 
Austrian diplomacy in regard to their anti- 
Slavic, amti^Serbian, policies, and all the 
maneuvers of these decrepit, unscrupulous 
German and Hungarian diplomiats could be 
laid bare, I am absolutely sure it would create 
a great sensation. Austria and Germany want- 
ed this war. 

Oount Tisza, the premier of Hungary, the 
man w^ho brought the police and army to the 
parliament of Hungary, and overcame the 



25 



oppoisitio'n by police force, fabricaited the ul- 
tiiujatum to be presented to iSerbia — not 
Count Berchthold, the Foreign ^Minister of 
Austria. This was done in accoirdanee with 
an unde[rs tan ding with the Kaiser, who him- 
self approved the document. 

A't the news of the second Serbian victo- 
ry, Tisza, the '"brig-and," the "villain,'' as the 
Hungarian parliamentary opposition always 
called him, began to tremble. He had promiised 
his Hungarians dominion over the Balkaais, 
and now he saw that he had pursued the 
wrong course by taking sides with the "in- 
vincible" Germains. Misery, ruin and death 
this ambitious and cruel man has brought to 
his unfortunate country. 'A't last the Hun- 
gariane began to understand that this Avar 
meant annihilation to them, and the feeling 
in the country against this ruinous politician 
'began to grow. Emboldened by this, the 
opposition commenced its activities again. 
Over night, its former efforts for a complete 
separation from Austria wore renewed, and 
Tisza, the man of the Kaiser, and the strong- 
esf supporter of the "'Dualism," himself 
wavered and showed signs of sympathy for a 
Hungarian independence. 

The fe^.r that Roumania might enter the 
fie*ld, and that Bulgaria would abandon the 



26 



cause or the Kaiser, brouglit about all these 
■chanoes i-n Hungary. They feared a second 
'invas^ion of the Gireat Hungarian plains by 
the Russians, and tliat the latter might join 
hands with the Roumanians from the Sonth. 
In this terrible predicament, the Hungariaji 
opposition sent representatives to the capitals 
of France and England to plead for mercy 
and forbearance. They were ready to recall 
their troops and ma'ke common cause with 
the allies. Vienna and the 'Kaiser were m 
great straits. Everything it appeared would 

The dark night of defeat, the '-Goetter- 
daemmerung- began to creep in. In his 
meintal anxiety, the Kaiser let loose his two 
do-is of war, Goeben mid 'Breslau, to bombard 
flourishing Russian towns along the Black 
Sea- iXovorossisk, with its second largest 
grain elevator in the world; lovely three- 
thousand-vear-old Feodosia, with its gallery 
of the famous Ayvazovski seascape paintings, 
and Empress Catherine's -town, Odessa were 
bombarded to let loose the Turkish hordes for 
the conquest of rich Caucasia, of course with 
the express condition that the oil we.ls ot 
Baku should go as a prize to the oil-needy 

Germany. , 

And the Turk, the second vassal ot tne 



'Kaiser, obeyed ais befo^re did the Emperor of 
Austria, the first vassal King of Germany. 

Thui^ was the triple allliaiice restored. 
But inste»ad of the unruly King of Italy, who 
dared to oppose the Kaiser as he ordered him, 
through his ambassador, and latter, through 
a special envoy, to mobilize and turn loose 
his troops on the .smiling plains of Southern 
France, it wais the cruel Turk who entered 
the field. For centuries lAustria has fought 
this most dangerous foe of the 'Christian faith 
and Christian culture. 'Xow he is on the same 
footing with the Apostolic King of Hungary. 

'Through the fallacious policy of his ad- 
visers, this unfortunate ruler has one infamy 
after another heaped on hiis reign. G-reat 
crowds of Germans cheered him in Vienna; 
oif Hungarians in Budapest ; and Ber'lin went 
wild with joy over this new ally, against 
whom the Southern Slavic nations have de- 
fended Germany for five centuries. In abso- 
lute frenzy over this new ally, the Kaiseo:- 
ordered his troops — Germans, Austrians, 
Hungarians and Turks — to a second general 
advance against Russia. The iRussians re- 
treated a day's march from Cracow. This 
saved the situation in Austria and Hungary, 
where doubt and discouragement were 
general, and the cry for peace as strong as 



28 



never 'before. And, to wipe out the pernicious 
impression, the unspeakable Austrian defeat 
in Seirbia has made in the Dual Monarchy, 
they interpreted this partial and local retreat 
of Russian troops as the greatest victory of 
all ages. 

The iSextonts were ordered to ring the 
bells in the churches throughout the Central 
Empires, the priests to sing 'Te Deums," and 
the journalists to write panegyric articles of 
glory to God and victory to men. This saved 
the Kaiser and Tisza, his faithful servant, 
once more. Tisza could once more whip the 
oppoisition and the Hungarian nation into 
o'bedience, and a sem^blance of the okl con- 
fidence in the victory over Russia was re- 
stored. Again, the newspapei^s told of victory 
after victory, but again this new counter- 
offensive broke down and the 'Russians began 
to piress on the Hungarian frontier. 

In these darkest days of Austrians histo" 
ry, where a general flood seemed to submerge 
the once so stately, OTer-a-thousand-year-old 
empire, all pride broke down and Vienna 
accepted the help of the Kaiser, even against 
Serbia and Russia on the plains of Hungary. 
Here is the turning point of Austrian politics. 
From that day on Austria of old ceased to 
exist. From that dav Austria was a mere 



29 



vassal state of Prussia, a helpless, unwilliiig 
member of the German Bund. 

The strugigle between the LHohenzollern 
and Hap^burg, for the snipremaey of the 
Roman [Empire of the German nation that 
was 60 bitterly waged for a long time, ended 
with Austria's defeat in 'Bohemia in 1866. 
But the empire as much still existed, although 
Anstria was dragged further and further into 
the vortex of the German amibition for a 
world empire. 

In the mountains of iSerbia and the low- 
lands of Galicia during this war was ad- 
ministered the death-blow to this old Empire 
as such. Whatever the ultimate outcome of 
this tremendous struggle for world's power, 
the once magnificent did Empire will play 
only a secondary role of Europe, until it 
gradually dies a natural death. As early 
as when Germany first sent her troops to the 
rescue of Austria — in appearance only, but 
in reality to defend her own frontier — she 
put, as "conditio sine qua non," the supreme 
and complete eommand of all the forces, in- 
cluding the Austrian, operating in the eastern 
theatre of war. And old Francis Joseph had, 
to acquiesce in this peremptory demand of his 
imperial friend. 

The great game was won : Wilhelm the 



30 



Hoihemzollea*!! was at last in command of the 
old and once so proud Austrian army. Will 
history tell how and who arranged matters 
so as to persuade the old emperor to yield 
on this vital question? They certainly told 
him that this was his only salvation, and that 
'by this he would get badk his two lost pro- 
vinces, G-alicia and Bukowina. And so the 
Germa-nis told us all who criticized this meas- 
ure, and found it extrem'ely suspicious. Suffice 
it to say, o'u this shameful day the Germans 
told the Emperor of Austria that he still 
had the exclusive command of his troops in 
the iSouthern theatre of war, i. e., against 
Serbia. Oh ! .He would never have yielded 
on this point : the honor of. Austria, her in- 
dependence, her future — in one word, the 
prestige of Austria — did not permit of giv- 
ing way to the Germans also in the South. 

"This is our war, the war of revenge," 
was the helpless cry of the Austrian military 
camarilla when it defended this I'aist piece of 
Austrian independence. In fact, the Avar 
against iSerbia was started as a punitive ex- 
pedition and the 'Kaiser no longer persisted, 
as through his officei^ he assumed the man- 
akement of the affaire of the IMinistry of War 
in Vienna, and could, in this way, minutely 
supervise everything. .Moreover, there was 



31 



no reason to complain. Everything went on 
as desired, and finally the proud, great all- 
important news of a crushing defeat over lit- 
tle iServia was given to the aimazed public. 
Simultaneously, an immense pressure was 
brought against ©ulgaria to send her army 
against Serbia, and join hands with the Aus- 
trians coming from the North. And it ap- 
pears that Bulgaria was reailly about to bireak 
loose. At least, we had indication of this 
when the bridge over the Vardar River north 
of Salonica, over which the Serbians were 
bringing their war supplies, was destroyed by 
Bulgarian hands (some say Bulgairian 
regulars). But this was done four days too 
late. 'Serbia already had her ammunition 
safely brought in, and took the now famous 
offensive, which ended in the amnihilation of 
the second Austrian army of invasion. 

The disappointment and discouragement 
of the Kaisei' was great. But again, it was 
solely he who was responsible for the great 
annihilation that the Austrian 'army had ex- 
perienced for the second time in the South. 
In order to pirotect his own iSilesian and 
Posnanian frontiers from the onslaught of 
the Czar's troops he insisted that all Austrian 
troops, which were disposable, be' brought 
from Serbia to the North. Was it remorse 



32 



that now pi-ompted the Kaiseo- to send his 
own troops down South, or was it only the 
thou-ht of seK-preservation that forced liim 
to this measure? He would never have wast- 
ed the bo,nes of one single Prussian grenadier 
in this ungrateful Southeastern theatre of 
war, if he could have practically done with- 

°"* On the other hand, the Austrian Emperor 
would have never permitted Wilhelm, the 
Hohenzollern, to meddle with his affairs m 
the Balkans, because Austria is too much 
imbued with pride and ideas of prestige. 



33 



PART IV. 

WILHELM, THE HOHENZOLLERN, 

THE REAL RULER OF AUSTRIA. 

How He Offers Peace to Serbia and Why He 

Sends a Third Army Against Her — this 

Time Reinforced by Troops from Germany. 

Victory is a wonderful t:hing. It is life 
and death in one single woTd. It uplifts the 
one to Heaven and rejects the other to the 
sorrow of Hades. Is is the regulator of the 
destinies of nations for centuries. So it was 
with the second Serbian victory. It brought 
undreamed-of advantages to little Sea^'bia, sor- 
row and despair to the 'Kaiser mid the 
Emperor, to Germans and Hungarlaais. The 
cry for revenge arose among the Germans 
and Hungarians of the Dual Monarchy. 

This victory shifted the balaneo. of power 
in ome night from the Central German Em- 
pires to the allied forces of England, France 
and Russia. It gave the Czar of 'Bulgaria, 
who is alwa>ns preying for revenge for his 
defeat, a terrible jolt, and forced him once 
more to keep quiet and play the great neutral 
game. It struck the Tm^ks with terror, so 
they did not know what further would hap- 



34 



pen in spite of the assertion of Field Marshall 
von der Goltz Pascia, who was in those days 
despatched by the Kaiser to 'Constantinople 
to assume supreme command over the non- 
Christians, and to reaseure them of the ul- 
timate German victory. Moreover, this victo- 
ry gave courage to the Roumanians and Ital- 
ians, who are ever balancing between the two 
blocks of power, withoiut really knowing 
which to choose. 

But this victory also had a tremendous 
moral effect on the minds of all the nations 
that "compose Aiistria^Hungary. It struck 
terror and the darkest apprehension in the 
hearts of the Austrians of German nationality 
and the Hungarians, and reminded them of 
all the soTdid deeds of oppression, of broken 
promises, of innumerable political crimes they 
have practiced against the Slavs for long 
years; it uplifted, on the other hand, the 
down-trodden, weak-hearted Austrian Slavs. 

You would hardly believe it, but it is 
really as I say: German and Austrian 
victories have exactly the opposite meaning 
to the iSlavs of Austria-Hungary. Every such 
victory is like a dagger thrust into the hearts 
of iSlavic patriots. Like spectres of gloom and 
sorrow, all the intelligent Slavs walked 
throuisrh the streets of the Slavic eities 



36 



throughout the Eimpire when came the great 
newis of thei victory over the iSei^bians, and of 
the fall of Belgrade. In sign of mournimg, 
nobody spoke on the streets when they el- 
bowed with the boisterously joyous and elated 
Germans and Hungariaais. lAs if by magic, 
everything changed in the Empire as the 
government reluctantly let it 'be understood 
that conquered Belgrade had been given up 
by the Austrians. Instantly, you could see 
the gloomy faces brighten. This crushing 
Austrian defeat meant victory to the Slavs 
of Austria-Hungary. Their rejoicing was great 
and sincere. 'Everywhere, when friemds met, 
they shook hand and their faces showed a 
happy smile, altough people could not speak 
for fear of ^being arrested and placed in jail 
for high treason. ,A stmnge country, this 
Austria, is it .not? Nobody who is not an 
u^ustrian understands it. 

All these circumstances combined: the 
interior situation in Austria^Hungary, and the 
new situation in the Balkans, created by the 
iSer'bian victor.y, made it peremptorily neces- 
sary to form a third army of invasion and 
keep it in readiness against Serbia. But why 
this time Austro-German troops, as the tele- 
grams annouced it, and not purely Austrian 
troops as the Vienna prestige politics would 



36 



dema'nd? To explain thie and to make it 
clear to the Ameirican reader, we will have to 
re'tiim to the snow-elad battlefield of Vialjevo 
and Belgrade, where the brave behavior of 
the Serbians brought them such a very im- 
portant victory. The second invading army 
was compoised of troops of all nationalities of 
the Empire, with a large admixture of purely 
Slavic troops, Bohemiaai and Southern Slave, 
Slovenians from the 'Southern Alps, Croatians 
from Croatia, Dalmatia and Bosnia. These 
later speak precisely the same language as 
the Serbians, the only difference being in the 
characters in which the language is written 
(Latin foir Croatian, Oyrilli-c for Serbian), and 
in the religion, Croatians being Catholics, and 
Serbians, Greek Orthodox. 

What went on in the hearts of these 
closest kinsmen of the Serbians before the 
battle started I do not know ; but I do know 
what happened afterward. By the' thousand pri- 
soners icamc^jdown to |Nish, practically lunguarded 
amd singing their Slavic national songs. Had 
they mutinied while the battle was going on, 
at last understanding that war is a crime, 
and war against your own kinsmen a triple 
crime, who could wonder? These Southern 
Slavic people were too faithful to the House 
of Hapsburg, and were always brought up 
/ 
37 



with a hatred of everythdoig that is not 
Roman Catholic. (But the onslaught of the 
ISerbians was such a terrific one that after 
stubborn resistance under the murderous fire 
of the Serbian gun<s the Axistrian columns 
vacillated, gave in and began to flee. The 
flight degenerated into a general rout, the 
Serbians pressing hard on the heels of the 
Austrian armies. -As the Austro-Slavic troops 
saw that their German (Austrian) and Hun- 
garian comrades were fleeing headlong over 
the wintry fields of Serbia to regain the Ans- 
trian territory, all discipline was abiaindoned. 
They realized that it was too much to ask 
of them to be braver than the men in whose 
favor this fearful war is waged. And instead 
of shamefully fleeing, they surrendered in 
spite of the threaits of their German-Austrian 
and Hunga'rian officers. And they were wise ! 
Austria and Germany have relied too 
much on the military discipline and have 
failed to understand that there is a limit to 
human patience even in an army. For fear 
then that this might repeat itself, the Kaiser 
ordered that the third army of invasion be 
composed partly of purely German troops 
from Germany. The fierce Germans are the 
real kit that eveiywhere is holding the Aus- 
trian armies toojether. And so it comes that 



38 



we Avill now see, for the first time; in the 
history of the world, aerman troops on the 
battlefields of the Balkan peninsula. But, 
ill spite of all this, theTe were serious dif- 
ferences of opinion between Vienna afid 
Berlin as to the necessity of forming a third 
army at all against iSerbia. The 'Kaiser dread- 
ed these formida'ble warriors, who were fight- 
ing like lions and tigers for the freedom, inde- 
pendence and glory of their country. But 
both Vienna and Budapest demanded the im- 
mediate formation of this third army for feat 
of serious internal troubles and external con- 
sequences. 

Gen. iPotiorek, the commander of the ill- 
fated Austrian army, was quietly deposed, 
and Archduke Eugen, the unmarried head 
of the German Ritterorden, was placed at 
the head of this third army of invasion. This 
was boastfully annonced to the world, to 
make the greatest impressin on enemies and 
neutrals. Behiaid the screens, however, every- 
thing was different; the Kaiser wanted his 
soldiers and the Austrian army elsewhei-e. 
He realized that this was no time for subtili- 
ties of an Austrian prestige policy, and that 
the moment for revenge coiild be postponed. 
He ordered that peace should be offered with- 
out dday to Serbia. Tliroug^h various chan- 

39 



ne'ls this was done. He offered heaven and 
earth to the iSei^biams, on condition that they 
lay down their victorious arms and cease to 
threaten the Austrianjs dominions in the 
South. Indeed, he offered them everything 
that was not his and not Austrian. The 
'Serbians should have even the hairbor of iSal- 
oniea under the condition that they would 
set apart a portion of it for Austriain exports. 
And as for the Northern part of Albania, 
Serbia should come to an agreement with 
Greece and Italy. Moreover, the promise of a 
more favorable treaty of commerce with Aus- 
tria was made to her, so that in the future 
she could export cattel and swine and other 
products of her farms without first asking 
the graceful permiission of the Hungarian 
landlords. -But Serbia declined all these doubt- 
ful advantages, and wel'l that she did. Who 
could gu'arentee her that these promises would 
be kept when Germany and Austria should 
win the struggle? Nobody, not even the 
Kaiser, as the aim of this war was the fight 
for Constantinople, and this would not for a 
moment permit the existence of a free and 
independent state like Serbia, that lies just 
across the ro'ad from Berlin and Vienna to 
iSalonica and Constantinople. Besides that, 
Austria and Hungary never kept any promises 



40 



given to the Slavic nations. Futile to speak- 
about this, and iSei^bra had the most bitter 
disappointments of her own in all her numer- 
ous dealings with Austrian diplomats. So it 
came that Sei^bia refused flatly a'U propo&ak 
of concluding a seperate treaty of peace. 

The disappointment of the Kaiser was 
great, Ibecaoi'se he was s'o -certain that Serbia 
would not refuse to deal with his, as well as 
(Austria's envoys in regard to peace proposals, 
after having twice inflicted terrible defeat 
on bold and proud old Austria. 

Fearing that the Serbians and Monte- 
negrins once more invade the mountains 
iBo-sniia and Herzegovina, or the rich plains of 
Syrmia and Slavonia, and start a revolution 
in the Southern iSlavic provinces of the Dual 
Monarchy, it was at last decided to send 
this third army of invasion, this time having 
a due proportion of Germian blood, to hold 
the Serbians in check. As early as the middle 
of January, we heard of the Grerman troops 
coming to Austria from Bavaria, intending 
to reinforce the Ausfcrians. This new Austro- 
German force was said to number 400.000 men> 
and was miassed on the Northern frontier of 
Serbia, and not as on the two previous oc- 
casions, principally in the northwest comer 
of Serbia. Through the lonsr inactiveness of 



41 



the new Austro-German army, time vas given 
to the Serbians to rest, to re-form their thin- 
ned ranks, to replenish their ammunition, to 
get a thorough ma^itery of the many captured 
Austrian guns of all sizes and desoriptions, 
with plenty of captured ammunition; in fact^ 
to formidably prepare themselves for the 
third supreme ordeal that threatens this ad- 
mirable nation of heroes. 

The destinies of twelve million Southern 
Slavs — not to .speak of the Bulgarians — 
are now in the hands of the Serbians. Will 
they also this third time succeed in not only 
holding back this' untiresome bloodthirsty 
enemy, but also defeat him, and thus be 
enabled to form a Southern iSlavic nation by 
cementing in a solid block the three Southern 
Slavic nationalities of ^Slovenians, Oroatians 
and Serbians? 

Or will Serbia be defeated and anni- 
hilated, as Austria and Germany are desirous 
of, and thus to cause burying of all the 
dreams of the iSouthern Slavs forever? 

The Serbian victory means peace and 
quiet to this part of the woirld, and an end to 
the perpetration of wrong and unrest. 

But truly, if the Serbians win or not, 
and w^e are all hopeful they will win. their 
•epic memory will go down for ages — as: 



42 



loiLg as there lives one Sei^bian and one 
iSoiithern iSlav in that ungrateful world of 
Southern Europe. 




43 



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